Case Keenum, Ben Tate Have Chance To Give Houston Texans a Facelift

By Devin O'Barr

John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

Don’t look now, but the Houston Texans might have a new regime on their hands.

Injury always opens to the door of opportunity, and Houston fans are starting to see a changing of the guard for the Texans. First and foremost, second-year quarterback Case Keenum looks rather poised in his first NFL start as the Texans head into halftime trailing 10-14 to the Kansas City Chiefs. As if an ankle injury to starting quarterback Matt Schaub in Week 6 wasn’t bad enough, the Texans lost running back Arian Foster to a hamstring injury that will force him to watch the rest of the Week 7 contest from the sidelines.

Therefore, Houston turns to third-year running back Ben Tate, who has produced at an insanely high clip in minimal opportunities. In fact, Tate grew so frustrated with the Texans’ decision to give Foster a bulk of the carries that he has even hinted at demanding trade — Tate is now forced to “put up or shut up.”

Moreover, Schaub’s run in Texas is likely through after this season, which means Keenum’s audition could easily turn into a starting gig in 2014. At the same time; don’t be surprised if the Texans show an aging Foster to the door, as Tate’s NFL career might take a major leap in the coming weeks.

The quarterback-running back combo in Houston is in flux, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.